Match Preview: Kansas City Current Readies for Road Match at Portland Thorns

KANSAS CITY (Aug. 22, 2025) – Riding a nine-match regular season unbeaten streak, the Kansas City Current (13-2-1, 1st place, 40 pts.) travels to the West Coast to face the Portland Thorns (7-4-5, 5th place, 26 pts.) on Saturday, Aug. 23. The match, which features the last two teams who remain unbeaten at home this season, kicks off at 9 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT) at Providence Park in Portland, Ore.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Week 17 fixture between the Current and Thorns will broadcast on ION with Maura Sheridan and Jordan Angeli on the call, and the contest will also air on the World Feed with Jessica Charman and Ricky Lopez-Espin. Fans in Kansas City can catch a simulcast of the match on KMCI, 38 the Spot with a pregame show, KC Current Matchday, starting at 8:30 p.m. CT. Jillian Carroll Letrinko and Dave Borchardt will call the game on 90.9 The Bridge, and fans can also tune in to hear the match in English, Spanish or Portuguese on the KC Current App.

CURRENT VS. THORNS
The Kansas City Current has won four straight games against the Portland Thorns after the Thorns went unbeaten in the first eight meetings across all competitions (6-0-2). In those four consecutive victories, the Current has outscored the Thorns by a 13-6 margin, scoring an average of 3.25 goals per game. Kansas City has scored three goals in the first half in three consecutive games with Portland. No team has defeated the Thorns in five straight meetings in all competitions. Additionally, Kansas City and Portland are the only two remaining teams in the league that are unbeaten at home this season.

This will be the second meeting between Kansas City and Portland of the 2025 campaign. The Current posted a 3-1 victory over the Thorns on March 15 at CPKC Stadium during the NWSL regular season opener. Reigning MVP and Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga picked up exactly where she left off in 2024, as the forward scored in just the fourth minute off an assist from midfielder Debinha. Forward Michelle Cooper scored what proved to be the game-winning goal 20 minutes later off a feed from midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta before Debinha added an insurance goal in the 38th minute. In last year’s 4-1 win over the Thorns in Oregon, LaBonta had her first career regular season brace, defender Elizabeth Ball dished out a pair of assists and Chawinga also found the back of the net.

TOP OF THE TABLE
The Current remains at the top of the NWSL table for the 12th week in a row. The club has 40 points through Week 16, 11 points ahead of second-place San Diego Wave’s 29 points. Eleven points also separate second-place San Diego (29 pts.) from 10th-place Houston Dash (18 pts.). Additionally, the Current has a plus-22 goal difference entering Week 17. The next closest teams, Orlando Pride and San Diego Wave, have a plus-10 goal difference. Kansas City has scored 32 goals this year – four more than San Diego – and has a league-best 10 goals allowed, two fewer than Orlando.

SHUT ‘EM OUT  
Kansas City’s regular season shutout streak currently stands at 428 minutes, which began in the 90th minute vs. Racing Louisville FC on June 14. The team is 25 minutes away from equaling the longest shutout streak in franchise history of 453 minutes set earlier this season, all with goalkeeper Lorena between the posts. The club has also recorded four straight regular season shutouts, starting with Angel City on June 20. The Current could equal the longest streak of regular season shutouts in NWSL history at five, a record shared by Seattle (2016), North Carolina (2021) and Orlando (2024).

Goalkeepers Laurel Ivory and Lorena have combined for nine shutouts this year, and the club is one regular season clean sheet from breaking the single season club record of nine done last year. Lorena has been credited with eight of those shutouts. Not only do her eight clean sheets lead the league but they are a new single season club record and the second-most career shutouts in franchise history. One more clean sheet from the Brazilian would make her the 14th netminder in NWSL history to reach nine regular season shutouts in a single year.

LOOKING SHARP(LES)
Defender Kayla Sharples has been in top form this year, anchoring a KC Current back line which leads the league in shutouts (9) and fewest goals allowed (10). Sharples, who tops the roster with 67 clearances and nine blocks, also has two goals and an assist on the year. She is one of six defenders across the NWSL with multiple regular season goals and at least one assist. Sharples is also one of 12 players in the league who have played every minute of the 2025 regular season. She is currently on an active streak of 1,440 consecutive regular season minutes played, which is tied for second all-time in club history. A start on Saturday in Portland would solidify her spot as No. 2 outright in franchise history.

FIRST HALF DOMINANCE
The Current has been dominant in the first half this regular season, outscoring opponents 20-1 before the break. Twelve of KC’s 32 goals this year have been in the opening 25 minutes with six in the first 15 minutes of play. The club has scored a league-best 46 first half goals since the beginning of 2024. Kansas City has scored three or more goals in the first half on four occasions this year, all at CPKC Stadium: Portland on March 15, Utah on March 29, Bay on May 11 and Louisville on June 14.

The lone goal the KC Current has conceded in the first half this season came in the 37th minute at Seattle Reign FC on May 2. That is the latest an NWSL team has conceded a goal this season. The Current’s plus-19 goal difference (20 scored, 1 conceded) in the first half could equal the largest in the first half of matches over a full season in NWSL history, a record that is owned by North Carolina in 2018 (22 scored, 3 conceded).

USWNT AT CPKC
On Aug. 21, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) confirmed its final opponent for the three-match October FIFA international window and will make its historic debut at CPKC Stadium against New Zealand on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. CT. This marks the first time the USWNT will play at CPKC Stadium, the world's first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team. The match will be broadcast on TNT, truTV and HBO Max in English, on Universo and Peacock in Spanish, and on Westwood One Sports Radio.

PERSONNEL UPDATES
The KC Current announced on Aug. 21 that forward Flora Marta Lacho would be loaned to HB Køge Women in Denmark for the remainder of its 2025-26 season. Lacho will reunite in Denmark with midfielder Jereko, who the Current loaned to HB Køge in July.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City midfielder Debinha – Debinha, who recently earned her 150th regular season cap, had a goal and an assist in the Current’s last meeting with the Thorns in the season opener on March 15. She assisted Temwa Chawinga’s opening goal in the fourth minute before finding the back of the net herself 34 minutes later. Debinha also assisted Vanessa DiBernardo’s goal – the first goal scored at CPKC Stadium – against Portland in 2024. The Brazilian has recorded five goals and an assist in her 12 appearances this year. She is one of 11 players across the league with at least one brace and currently ranks third among active players with 52 regular season career goals.

Portland midfielder Olivia Moultrie – Moultrie has recorded three goals and an assist in 16 regular season matches this year. Her latest tally vs. North Carolina on Aug. 16 was her 15th goal scored for the Thorns across all competitions. That is the most by a teenager for all NWSL teams. At just 19 years old Moultrie, who also has 14 career assists in all competitions, is one goal or assist away from becoming the youngest NWSL player to record 30 goal contributions. The mark is currently held by Trinity Rodman, who recorded her 30th goal contribution in 2023 at 20 years and 310 days old.

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT: Alana Cook (SEI-Knee), Kristen Hamilton (Hip), Vanessa DiBernardo (Maternity Leave), Clare Gagne (Head), Elizabeth Ball (Hip)
QUESTIONABLE: None
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

LAUREN HOLIDAY IMPACT AWARD FAN IMPACT CHALLENGE  
The Fan Impact Challenge for the 2025 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, is now open. Midfielder Claire Hutton is the Kansas City Current’s nominee and is supporting MINDDRIVE as her community partner. Fans can vote once per day on the NWSL’s LAUREN HOLIDAY IMPACT AWARD MICROSITE until Aug. 30 at 10:59 p.m. CT. The nominee with the most votes will be announced as the Fan Impact Challenge winner and receive a $10,000 donation to a charitable organization of their choice. More information about Hutton’s nomination can be found HERE. 

Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click HERE for more information about the Current Club.